Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS)

This page contains presentations by veterinarians on various topics in relation to AMR and AMS. It also contains resources such as antimicrobial prescribing and use guidelines, strategies and action plans, and reviews and articles with regards to AMR and AMS.

To find out about AMR and One Health, why they are important, what can be done about them and how its threat is being addressed, please visit the AMR page.

To learn about Australia's current AMR situation, how vets can fight AMR, and the principles of appropriate use of antimicrobials, please visit the information
for veterinarians page.

2017 AVA Annual Conference presentations

On 5 June 2017, Dr Mark Schipp, Australian Chief Veterinary Officer and Vice President of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) General Assembly, talked about Australian veterinarians and global challenges.

Dr Schipp's presentation covers the role of veterinarians, One Health and zoonoses, animal health and international trade, emerging diseases and emergency responses, and antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and antimicrobial stewardship (AMS).

The duration of the recording including questions and answers is 1 hour and 23 minutes. Dr Schipp's presentation concludes at 47 minutes and 15 seconds. The segment on AMR and AMS goes from 29 minutes 40 seconds to 46 minutes 15 seconds.

Click on the image below to play the presentation.

On 8 June 2017, Professor Chris Baggoley also presented at the 2017 annual AVA conference, giving a personal perspective on the topic of One Health. He is currently the Executive Director of Medical Services for the Southern Adelaide Local Health Network. Professor Baggoley became a veterinarian
first, and later a medical doctor who previously served as Australia's Chief Medical Officer for more than five years.

Professor Baggoley shared his insights about disease transmission and incidents in relation to the Hendra virus, swine and avian influenza viruses, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus, Ebola and Zika viruses, E.coli and Campylobacter bacteria, and the involvement of animals. The duration of this presentation is 57 minutes and 45 seconds.

Click on the image below to play the presentation.

Agriculture Victoria thanks the Australian Veterinary Association for generously making both presentations available to the visitors of this web page.

Dairy presentations

Professor Scott McDougall is an Australian veterinarian who is a registered specialist in cattle reproduction in New Zealand. He leads a research team that recently completed a three-year study into antimicrobial usage and resistance in the New Zealand dairy industry. Agriculture Victoria invited Professor
McDougall to prepare three presentations on farmer and veterinary attitudes to antimicrobial usage, measuring antimicrobial usage and disease on farm, and helping dairy farmers optimise antimicrobial usage.

Professor McDougall's first presentation defines the AMR problem, and discusses issues of behaviour and change, farmers' and vets' understanding of AMR risks, and practical implications. The duration of this presentation is 22 minutes and 49 seconds. Click on the image below to play the presentation.

Professor McDougall's second presentation discusses how to measure antibiotic usage as well as disease on farm. The duration of this presentation is 17 minutes and 17 seconds. Click on the image below to play the presentation.

Professor McDougall's third and final presentation outlines a structured approach to managing antimicrobial usage on farm, and provides practical tools to help manage the use of antimicrobials. The duration of this presentation is 13 minutes and 58 seconds. Click on the image below to play the presentation.

University of Melbourne presentations

Professor Glenn F. Browning is the Head of Department of Veterinary Biosciences at the University of Melbourne. He is also a veterinary microbiologist whose research interests include the molecular pathogenesis and epidemiology of bacterial and viral pathogens of animals, the development of novel vaccines
and diagnostic assays to assist in control of infectious diseases, and antimicrobial stewardship in veterinary medicine.

Additionally, Professor Browning is the Director of the Asia-Pacific Centre for Animal Health (APCAH), which is a multidisciplinary research centre within the university committed to improving animal health, welfare and production. He worked with Agriculture Victoria to produce a series of short lectures
on AMR and AMS. Click on the image below to play the introduction presentation (47 seconds).

In his first presentation, Professor Browning talks about the when and why of antimicrobial usage in veterinary practice. The duration of this presentation is 7 minutes and 20 seconds. Click on the image below to play the presentation.

Professor Browning's second presentation is on antimicrobial therapeutics, specifically the pharmacokinetics of antimicrobial drugs. The duration of this presentation is 7 minutes and 33 seconds. Click on the image below to play the presentation.

Professor Browning's third presentation further explores antimicrobial therapeutics, with a focus on pharmacodynamic factors affecting dosage and the therapeutic response. The duration of this presentation is 9 minutes and 57 seconds. Click on the image below to play the presentation.

In his fourth presentation, Professor Browning goes through what is antimicrobial stewardship and how it will affect veterinary medicine. The duration of this presentation is 8 minutes and 52 seconds. Click on the image below to play the presentation.

In his fifth presentation, Professor Browning explains where antimicrobial resistance comes from and how it spreads. The duration of this presentation is 19 minutes and 41 seconds. Click on the image below to play the presentation.

Professor Browning's sixth and final presentation discusses what can be done to control antimicrobial resistance. The duration of this presentation is 12 minutes and 31 seconds. Click on the image below to play the presentation.

Agriculture Victoria thanks the University of Melbourne, APCAH and the National Centre for Antimicrobial Stewardship (NCAS) for working together to produce these presentations collaboratively.

Online courses on AMR and AMS

Education is important for gaining awareness and a main component of a successful AMS program. Along with using the information and presentations on these AMR web pages, the following structured learning modules may be useful:

Antimicrobial prescribing and use guidelines

Guidelines are exactly that – guidelines. Veterinarians must take responsibility to comply with legislative requirements associated with prescribing, dispensing and using chemicals; as well as for the outcomes of their professional judgement. The following are some evidence-based guidelines for
consideration:

Following changes to the Victorian Government structure, the content on this site is in transition. There may be references to previous departments, these are being updated. Please call 136 186 to clarify any specific information.